Connecting Factor
Admittingly a less than ideal metaphysical argument but a pertinent one nonetheless. -As Theist you cannot connect passionately with anything that is not strictly of God. But you can as Creator. I speak from personal experience. Strength Of The Connection: -It's not just that a particular TTB can allow you to study something but also the strength of said connection. -Historically, Theist fails because its many Names means that no particular thing can be trusted to be truly that well connected to God. -Creator is simple and strong, and the connections it allows you to have with other things is exactly the same. Distance Equals Strenth Of Connection: -The Big Picture is infinitely far away at all times, therefore weaker connection. -But every act of Creating is Creator and It is all around us! -Existence Itself is Big Picture but for our purposes doesn't count, because our locale is never the entirety of God. Simplicity Equals Certainty Equals Strength of Connection: -Prime-mover, Existence, and all these other esoteric Names rely on assumptions and extra-parts. -Strength of connection comes directly from simplicity! -Each Name brings its own baggage, including just how much it is valued by God. After all, not all Names are equal! Can't Existence Make Everything Of God?: -I tried this approach many times before. It doesn't work. -The problem with Existence as a primary-Name is that, if God is truly capable of anything, than somehow He can create something outside of the boundaries of Existence. Somehow. -Ergo, there is always the doubt that Existence isn't covering everything. Keyword Is Simplicity: -Simplicity seems to really play into whether a TTB can truly let you be interested in all things. Creator is simple, straightforward, definitely exists, and is clearly related to all things. Also, the Creator-Object shows that Creator is the nature of God Himself. - Need For A Mono-Name: Parts Weaken The Connection: -If you are going to be all about God, you need to be certain what He is. Having multiple Names makes you question which one is closer or is the True Name of God. -When you try to connect as Theist, confusion enters because there are open questions about the many names, and this in turn weakens the Connecting Force. -Parts has always been the killer for Theist. Whenever I was Theist and used a Name to connect, the fact that there were related Parts always made that connection weak. If you have to consciously bolster the connection, how long do you think it will last under duress? Most Things Don't Feel Close To God: -Most finite things feel distant from God, and so Theist doesn't work because you have to stretch things and make it all ridiculous. Don't We Need A TTB That Makes Everything Out To Be God? Doesn't Creator Wander From God?: -Creator is about Existence, which is what God is. -We all must take our eyes off of the Big Picture from time to time. What is important is that Creator, which is inherently about origins, brings us back to It. -Besides, for Man to be Free, God must be Distant... The Problem With Redirect: -How do we know there weren't multiple Prime-Movers, or that God chose to create overlapping planes of Indivisability, or that Order is not that high on His list? -The problem with Theist and redirecting back to a Big Picture is that it adds both complexity and doubt. And with the Connecting Factor, intellectual virtue is not enough, there must also be an emotionally strong connection as well. Theist fails at that because the Big Picture is forever not fully known, and therefore will always entail some doubt. God Is Not Emotionally Immediate: -No matter how hard you try, Theist will never work in secular life because God is emotionally distant from us. You need a Connecting Factor that is obvious to the mind, down here to earth, and is one which we can feel! - Category:Metaphysics Category:Creator